My efforts at getting my family together have led me to emotional blackmail and not exactly what I imagined. Jamie reminds me that "if I still had a house" I would see more of him and currently, golfing with his friends is more important. Jay has had a couple of days off and he too seems to find golfing with his brother and their friends far more appealing than hanging out with his mother and sister. (And really, who can blame them?) The weather is perfect for golfing and Karley and I are being dictated to by little you-know-who, so we have very little flexibility. I have to resign myself to the fact that all my children lead independent lives and hanging out with their mom is not nearly as much fun as swinging a golf club. Oh well!

Our days go like this: Rick is up and gone by 7:00 AM because he is helping Graham with a booth at the Automotive Flea Market at Burl's Creek which starts tomorrow. Karley, Makai and I are left to fend for ourselves and typically, I am showered and ready for the day by 7:30 so that Makai can go down for his first nap in our bedroom. Once he wakes up from that one, Karley feeds him and then I baby-sit while she goes to the gym. Makai and I go for a walk with his stroller, then he plays in the exersaucer and/or the jolly jumper while I pick up his toys (which constantly get tossed on the ground). Sometimes I balance him on my hip while I tidy up or empty the dishwasher or wipe up a splash of babybarf, reminding me of the "old days" when I multi-tasked with his mother as an infant. Then it's naptime once more, Karley returns from the gym and helps to clean up and soon he is awake again. The day pretty much stays in that pattern unless we have an outing planned but they become so disruptive to Makai's sleep pattern that we limit them.

Just writing this down tires me greatly and it becomes painfully clear why getting my family together is so difficult. It's hard to fathom how one little boy can be so darned cute yet have such control of us!